How early can I take a pregnancy test?

If you’re waiting to find out, it’s tempting to test as early as you can. Here’s how early is possible, and when you’ll get the most reliable answer.

The short answer

Most tests: from the day your period is due.
Early tests: from 5 days before your period is due (the packet may call this ‘6 days before your missed period’), but they won’t pick up every pregnancy that early.
If you don’t know when your period is due: at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.
After IVF or IUI: on the date your clinic gives you.

Why you can’t test straight after sex

Sperm can survive for up to 7 days, so you can conceive several days after you had sex. The fertilised egg then implants in your womb about 6 to 12 days after ovulation, and only then does the pregnancy start making hCG, the hormone tests look for. It takes a few more days to build up to a level a test can find. See the day-by-day guide from conception to a missed period.

What to expect, day by day

These are counted back from the day your period is due. In a 28-day cycle, your period is due about 2 weeks after you ovulate.

More than 5 days before your period is due

Too early for any home test. Many pregnancies haven’t implanted yet, so a negative tells you nothing.

5 days before (about 10 days after ovulation in a 28-day cycle)

The earliest day for early tests. One brand says that in lab testing, its most sensitive early tests picked up nearly 8 in 10 pregnancies at this point. That means about 1 in 5 pregnancies were missed, even in the lab.

4 to 1 days before

The chance of a positive goes up each day as hCG builds. A negative still doesn’t rule out pregnancy.

The day your period is due

Most tests are designed to be used from now. Test makers say they’re over 99% accurate from this day, though that figure comes from lab testing. In real life some pregnancies still won’t show: one study found that on the day women expected their period, about 1 in 10 pregnancies hadn’t implanted yet. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says 10 to 20 in every 100 pregnant women won’t get a positive on the first day of a missed period.

A few days to a week after

More reliable still, as hCG keeps rising. If you’ve had a negative and your period still hasn’t come, test again.

If your cycle isn’t 28 days

Count back from when your period is actually due, not from day 28. Ovulation usually happens 10 to 16 days before a period, so in a longer cycle everything above moves later. If your cycles vary a lot and you can’t tell when your period is due, test 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.

If you test early

Use your first wee of the morning, when it’s most concentrated, and don’t drink lots beforehand.
Follow the instructions closely, and read the result within the time they say.
A positive is very likely to be right, even if the line is faint.
A negative doesn’t mean you’re not pregnant. Test again on the day your period is due, or a few days later.

Very early testing can also pick up pregnancies that stop developing soon afterwards, around the time of a period. Without a test, many people would never have known. It can be upsetting, so it’s worth knowing before you test. Read about chemical pregnancy.

After IVF, IUI or a miscarriage

The timing works differently, so go by the date your clinic or hospital gives you. See best time of day to take a pregnancy test, and how to do one for more.

Still negative but no period?

Wait a few days and test again. If you get a second negative and your period still hasn’t come, speak to your GP. See can a negative test be wrong?

Questions people ask

Can I test 7 days after sex?

That’s too early. Conception can happen several days after sex, and implantation happens 6 to 12 days after that. Test from the day your period is due, or 21 days after sex if you don’t know when that is.

Can I test at 10 DPO?

Early tests go by when your period is due, not by ovulation. If your period usually comes about 2 weeks after you ovulate, 10 DPO is about 5 days before it’s due, the earliest day for an early test. In one brand’s lab testing, nearly 8 in 10 pregnancies were picked up at that point, so a negative isn’t reliable.

Why did my friend get a positive so early?

Implantation timing and hCG levels vary a lot. Some people have enough hCG for a positive several days before their period, and others don’t until after it’s due.

Is it worth testing early?

It’s up to you. You might get an early answer, but a negative won’t be reliable, and you may find out about very early losses. Our guide to the two week wait has tips for getting through it.

When to get help

Mild cramps that ease with rest are usually nothing to worry about. But if you’re pregnant, or think you could be, get urgent advice from your maternity unit, an early pregnancy unit or NHS 111 if you have:

any bleeding or spotting, even if it’s light
tummy pain that’s severe, on one side, or hasn’t eased after resting for 30 to 60 minutes
pain in the tip of your shoulder

Call 999 if you have bleeding along with severe tummy pain, pain in your shoulder, or feeling sick, faint or dizzy, or if the bleeding is heavy (soaking a pad soon after putting it on). Also call 999 if you have sudden, sharp and intense tummy pain and you feel very dizzy or faint, feel sick or look very pale. These can be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage that need treating straight away.